1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to supplying heated, pressurized air for industrial processes. More specifically, the invention relates to the use of gas turbine or aero-derivative gas turbine engines for supplying heated, pressurized air.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many industrial processes require heated, pressurized air. This requirement can be met by using heaters in combination with compressors to reach the required temperature and pressure ranges of the air. However, such methods tend to be inefficient and costly in applications where very high heat and high pressure are needed.
In such applications, attempts have been made to use gas turbine or aero-derivative gas turbine engines to provide heated and/or pressurized air by feeding exhaust from the engines into the industrial process. To date, however, no system has been developed that is capable of allowing a gas turbine or aero-derivative gas turbine engine to provide all of the heated, pressurized air necessary to meet process requirements. Currently, for example, systems that use exhaust from such an engine often require further pressurization of the air with independent compressors. This not only adds a step to the process, but adds cost to the operation of the facility. In addition, if the engine or a compressor is shut down for maintenance or repair, or fails for some other reason, the industrial process must be stopped, leading to expensive plant shutdowns and restarting operations.
Additional problems result from the vibrations in the gas turbine or aero-derivative gas turbine engine, which tend to cause the engine to become misaligned with the piping designed to carry the exhaust to the industrial process. In addition, the piping connected to the exhaust of the gas turbine or aero-derivative engine tends to expand after start-up, creating undue stress in the joint between the piping and the exhaust, and causing allure of that joint. Furthermore, most off the shelf gas turbines or aero-derivative gas turbine engines are designed for other purposes. Accordingly, such engines are not designed to produce exhaust having the particular pressure and temperature characteristics required by a given industrial process.